Lens grinding or polishing machine



June 29, 1943.

D. TAYLOR 2,323,164

LENS GRINDING 0R POLISHING MACHINE Filed April 28, 1942 Patented June 29, 1943 LENS GRINDING OR POLISHING MAC HINE Douglas Taylor, Solihull, near Birmingham, England Application April 28, 1942, Serial No. 440,857 In Great Britain April 26, 1941 1 Claim.

This invention has for its object to provide improved lens grinding or polishing machines.

In the accompanying sheet of explanatory drawings- Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a lens grinding or polishing machine constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional side view illustrating modifications.

In carrying the invention into effect as shown in Figure 1, I employ a hollow body part a in the form of a shallow dish having a central aperture closed by a removable plate I), the inner surface of the body part being of concave form. Within the body part a is mounted on spaced supporting pieces 1) another dish-like part herein termed the inner member. The periphery of the inner member 0 has secured to or formed on it a flange with an annular lap d having an upper working face shaped to suit the lens surfaces to be ground or polished. When required for grinding or polishing lenses having flat surfaces the working face of the lap d is flat. When required for grinding or polishing lenses having curved surfaces the said face is correspondingly curved. The inner member 0 is so mounted in the body part a that an annular space e is provided between its outer surface and the inner surface of the body part. The upper end of the space 6 is open, and communication between the lower part of this space and the interior of the inner member 0 is provided by a central hole 1, or a plurality of holes, in the lower part of the inner member, the arrangement being such that liquid carrying grinding or polishing medium can flow from the lower region of the body part a up the interior of the inner member, across the working face of the lap d, and back to the lower region of the body part down the annular space e.

Arranged above the lap is a lens holder g, or runner as it is ordinarily termed, in the form of a horizontal ring adapted for the attachment of a plurality of lenses h to its under side, holes i being formed in the runner at the lens positions to facilitate detachment of the lenses which are secured to the runner by any convenient adhesive substance. The runner g is mounted on the periphery of a relatively heavy disc having at its centre an aperture 10 which is occupied by a cam or eccentric m, the periphery of this cam or eccentric being of spherical form. Rotation of the cam or eccentric m causes the disc and runner g to reciprocate relatively to the lap d and also produces a creeping rotary movement of the disc and runner.

Instead of securing the lenses h to the runner g as above described, I may employ the modification illustrated in Figure 2. In this modification I attach the lenses h to separate holders in the form of metal buttons 0, and arrange for these to be engaged by points p or balls carried by the runner g.

Rotation of the cam or eccentric m is effected in the example shown in Figure 1 by a vertical spindle q which extends downwardly through a sleeve bearing 1" formed integrally with the plate b closing the central aperture in the body part a. Alternatively the spindle may extend upwardly from the cam or eccentric. The body part a may be either stationary or rotatable. In the latter case rotation may be imparted to the body part either by a hollow or other spindle attached to the centre of its underside, or by a belt acting on its periphery.

To promote circulation of the above mentioned liquid within the body part a, one or more impeller blades as s are mounted within the inner member 0 and secured to the spindle q which operates the cam or eccentric m. Thus, in the example shown in Figure 1 a plurality of such impeller blades are supported within the inner member 0 by a circular plate 12 clamped between the cam or eccentric m and a shoulder on the spindle q, thrust balls it being arranged between the underside of the plate and the adjacent end of the sleeve bearing r. When the impeller blades are in action the liquid is caused to flow upwards towards the lap d, and after flowing outwards over the working surface of the lap flows downwardly through the annular space e.

To prevent loss of liquid over the top edge of the body part a, the latter is provided with a lip v, and to minimize risk of injury to the lenses in when the runner g is being placed in position or removed, this lip is made from rubber or other convenient soft material.

The invention is not limited to the examples above described as subordinate details may be varied to suit requirements.

By this invention I am able to provide a lens grinding or polishing machine of very simple form, and moreover, I am able to ensure reliable operation with a minimum of supervision.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A lens grinding or polishing machine, comprising the combination of a hollow body part which is open at its upper side and has an annular lap associated with it, a disc by which a plurality of lenses can be moved over the lap and which is provided with a central aperture, a rotary cam occupying the aperture in the disc and adapted to rotate and reciprocate the disc, a rotary spindle for effecting rotation of the cam, and at least one impeller blade carried by the spindle for effecting circulation of liquid within the body part, the said impeller blade being arranged to cause the circulating liquid to flow upwards over the inner edge of the lap and then outwards over the upper surface of the lap.

DOUGLAS TAYLOR. 

